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Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of technological innovation, promising to revolutionize human productivity, creativity, and quality of life. It holds the key to accelerating economic growth and unlocking unprecedented progress in fields such as education, science, and public welfare. Open source AI, in particular, ensures that these transformative benefits are accessible to people and organizations worldwide. To further this mission, we are thrilled to launch the second iteration of the Llama Impact Grants program.
Announcing Llama 3.1 Impact Grants: A New Chapter in AI Innovation
Elevating Global Impact Through Innovation
Today marks the official opening of applications for the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants. We invite proposals that leverage the enhanced capabilities of our latest language model, Llama 3.1, for projects with significant economic and social impact. This new model now supports multiple previously unsupported languages, including French, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai. Llama 3.1 is the premier open source model, rivalling top AI systems in aspects like general knowledge, steerability, reasoning, mathematics, tool usage, and multilingual translation. The potential for innovative applications is unlimited, and we eagerly anticipate the groundbreaking ideas that will emerge.
Funding and Application Process
This year, the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program boasts a total fund of $2 million USD. There are two primary pathways to apply: an open call and our regional events series. Through the open call, eligible organizations can submit their applications online for a chance to secure up to $500,000 USD to support their initiatives.
We will also host a series of global events designed to offer technical guidance and mentorship to applicants. Each event will target themes identified as critical by local stakeholders, including civil society groups, businesses, NGOs, and policymakers. Key focus areas will include agriculture, scalable business solutions, health technology, cultural preservation, and more. Event attendees will be eligible for specialized grants of up to $100,000 USD, along with consideration for the larger open call awards.
Reflecting on the Inaugural Llama Impact Grants
Building on the success of the inaugural Llama Impact Grants, this year’s program aims to support even more innovative applications of Meta’s open source AI models, Llama 2 and Llama 3. The previous grants effectively addressed global challenges in education, the environment, and open innovation, drawing over 800 applications from more than 90 countries. Both finalists and runners-up received access to invaluable mentorship and community support. Among the standout projects were Llama-powered math teaching assistants and AI models bridging the information gap in maternal healthcare.
Call to Action: Join the Llama 3.1 Movement
We are continually inspired by the diversity and ingenuity of the projects developers undertake worldwide to make a difference in their communities using Llama. This coming year promises even more extraordinary innovations with Llama 3.1.
Discover more about the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program and submit your application to become part of this transformative movement: Learn more and apply.
Global Reach: Supporting AI Initiatives in Africa and Beyond
Meta’s Commitment to Supporting AI in Africa
Meta reaffirms its commitment to fostering innovative use cases of open source AI across Africa. The Llama 3.1 Impact Grants will provide up to $2 million USD to institutions globally, building on the success of past grant programs. We encourage institutions with ideas for leveraging Llama 3.1 to tackle social challenges in their communities to apply. Special emphasis will be given to applications focusing on economic development, science and innovation, and public service.
Regional Events and Additional Support
To support potential applicants, Meta will host a series of regional events, including virtual workshops and in-person hackathons across diverse locations such as Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Latin America, North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and more. These events will provide technical guidance and mentorship, enhancing the development of effective Llama 3.1 applications. Participants will qualify for additional specialized awards of up to $100,000 USD.
Conclusion: A Global Call for Action
The Llama 3.1 Impact Grants program is now open for applications from Monday, August 5, 2024, to Friday, November 22, 2024. We urge eligible institutions to submit their proposals and seize this opportunity to drive social impact through AI.
To ensure your proposal meets our selection criteria, please review the detailed guidelines here.
Source: Meta
